SSC CGL History · Free notes
Ancient India: SSC CGL History
Ancient India has 132 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank: 39 from the 2023 shifts, 40 from the 2024 shifts and 53 from the 2025 shifts, and 65 of them MODERATE or HARD. The 2025 shifts changed what this chapter asks. Thirty-two of their 53 questions were on Gupta officers and revenue terms, on sculpture and on the parts of a temple, topics the 2023 shifts asked only eight times. Those questions give four pairs or two statements and ask which is right, so they reward exact meanings rather than a general idea. Each page below is a table of the names, terms and places SSC has asked, set out in time order from the Stone Age to the Pallavas.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Prehistory, Harappa and the Vedic Age
24 PYQsThe Stone Ages in order, what the Harappan cities are known for, the four Vedas and the six Vedangas, and the words that describe early Vedic society.
Mahajanapadas, Magadha and Mauryan Empire
33 PYQsThe sixteen great kingdoms and why Magadha won, the Buddhist, Jain and Ajivika teachers, Chandragupta and Kautilya's state, and Ashoka's war and Dhamma.
Post-Mauryan Kingdoms and the Sangam Age
11 PYQsThe dynasties between the Mauryas and the Guptas: the Shungas, the Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas in the north, the Satavahanas in the Deccan, and the Sangam kingdoms of the far south.
The Guptas and Their Successors
28 PYQsThe Gupta kings and their Vakataka allies, the Gupta officers and revenue terms, and the kingdoms that followed: the Maukharis, Pushyabhutis, Maitrakas, Chalukyas and Pallavas.
Ancient Indian Literature and Inscriptions
11 PYQsThe Sanskrit and Tamil works SSC asks about with their authors, the medical texts, and the great inscriptions: whose they are, where they stand and what script they use.
Art, Painting and Sculpture
11 PYQsAshoka's pillars and their capitals, the Persian touch in Mauryan art, and the Gandhara and Mathura schools of sculpture with the early Buddhist sites that came before them.
Temple and Rock-Cut Architecture
14 PYQsThe great rock-cut caves and monoliths, and the parts of a temple in the Nagara, Dravida and Vesara styles, with the names SSC uses for each part.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 19 reference tables · 27 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 19 reference tables · 27 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
Early Vedic society and its words5 rows
| Vedic name | Modern river |
|---|---|
| Vitasta | JhelumQ |
| Askini | Chenab |
| Parushni | Ravi |
| Vipash | Beas |
| Shutudri | Sutlej |
Watch out for (5)
- Mesolithic sits between the other two→ Stone Ages and Harappan cities
- No sati at Harappa→ Stone Ages and Harappan cities
- Sama is melody, Yajur is sacrifice→ The four Vedas and the six Vedangas
- Rajan is a chief, jana is the unit→ Early Vedic society and its words
- Samiti is not a varna→ Early Vedic society and its words
Reference tables (4)
Watch out for (6)
- Pataliputra was not Vajji's capital→ The mahajanapadas and the rise of Magadha
- Parshvanatha is 23rd, not first→ Buddhism, Jainism and the Ajivikas
- The relics are in the dome→ Buddhism, Jainism and the Ajivikas
- Samaharta collects, Sannidhata stores→ Chandragupta, Kautilya and the Greeks
- Deimachus came to Bindusara→ Chandragupta, Kautilya and the Greeks
- Mahinda was a monk, not a king→ Ashoka, Kalinga and the Dhamma
Reference tables (2)
Shungas, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas5 rows
| Dynasty | King to remember | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Shunga | Pushyamitra (first), Devabhuti (last) | Began when Pushyamitra killed the last Mauryan kingQ |
| Shaka | Rudradaman I | Repaired the Sudarshana lakeQ |
| Parthian | Gondophernes | Takht-i-Bahi inscription, MardanQ |
| Kushana | Kanishka | Fourth Buddhist CouncilQ |
| Kushana | Vasudeva I | Gold dinars and copper coinsQ |
Watch out for (2)
- Devabhuti, not Bhavabhuti→ Shungas, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas
- Thanjavur is a later Chola capital→ Satavahanas and the Sangam kingdoms
Reference tables (4)
Watch out for (6)
- Chandragupta II, not Chandragupta I→ Gupta kings and the Vakatakas
- The Pustapala kept records, not taxes→ Gupta officers and the town board
- The town board was civic, not religious or military→ Gupta officers and the town board
- Bhaga and bhoga are different→ Gupta revenue terms
- Vikramorvasiyam is Kalidasa's→ After the Guptas: Harsha and the regional kingdoms
- Thanesar for the Pushyabhutis, Kannauj for the Maukharis→ After the Guptas: Harsha and the regional kingdoms
Reference tables (2)
Books and their authors6 rows
Inscriptions and scripts6 rows
| Inscription | King or dynasty | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Maski | Ashoka | Names him as Ashoka; in KarnatakaQ |
| Junagadh (Girnar) | Rudradaman I | First long inscription in chaste SanskritQ |
| Allahabad Pillar | Samudragupta | His conquests; by Harisena |
| Nasik | Satavahanas | Gautamiputra Satakarni's deeds |
| Aihole | Pulakeshin II | Chalukyas of Badami |
| Hathigumpha | Kharavela | Kalinga |
Watch out for (2)
- Bhaskaracharya was a mathematician→ Books and their authors
- Kharosthi only in the north-west→ Inscriptions and scripts
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (3)
- Sanchi has a lion capital too→ Mauryan pillars and court art
- Do not swap the stones→ Gandhara, Mathura and the early Buddhist sites
- Gandhara is the foreign one→ Gandhara, Mathura and the early Buddhist sites
Reference tables (2)
Nagara, Dravida and Vesara7 rows
| Part or style | What it is |
|---|---|
| Shikhara | Curving tower of a Nagara templeQ |
| Amalaka | Ribbed stone disc on top of the shikharaQ |
| Bhadra | Central projecting offset of a Nagara wallQ |
| Phamsana | Broad shikhara of slabs in a straight inclineQ |
| Gopuram | Gateway tower of a Dravida temple |
| Mandapa | Pillared hall for worshippersQ |
| Vesara | Deccan hybrid styleQ |
Watch out for (3)
- Elephanta is Shaiva, not Buddhist→ Rock-cut caves and monoliths
- Vimana is not the gateway→ Nagara, Dravida and Vesara
- Kalinga architecture is Odisha's→ Nagara, Dravida and Vesara
PYQ weightage by concept
19 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
19 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Early Vedic society and its words | 9 | 7% |
| The four Vedas and the six Vedangas | 8 | 6% |
| Stone Ages and Harappan cities | 7 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Chandragupta, Kautilya and the Greeks | 13 | 10% |
| Buddhism, Jainism and the Ajivikas | 7 | 5% |
| Ashoka, Kalinga and the Dhamma | 7 | 5% |
| The mahajanapadas and the rise of Magadha | 6 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Shungas, Shakas, Parthians and Kushanas | 7 | 5% |
| Satavahanas and the Sangam kingdoms | 4 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| After the Guptas: Harsha and the regional kingdoms | 11 | 8% |
| Gupta kings and the Vakatakas | 6 | 5% |
| Gupta officers and the town board | 6 | 5% |
| Gupta revenue terms | 5 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Books and their authors | 6 | 5% |
| Inscriptions and scripts | 5 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gandhara, Mathura and the early Buddhist sites | 7 | 5% |
| Mauryan pillars and court art | 4 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nagara, Dravida and Vesara | 9 | 7% |
| Rock-cut caves and monoliths | 5 | 4% |
Test yourself on Ancient India
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.